Putting science into society and society into science communication

1 August 2017

We are excited to announce that Professor Maja Horst from the University of Copenhagen will kick off Day 4 (6 April) of [External link]PCST 2018, which is themed around SOCIETY. Professor Horst not only has a strong research interest in science and society: she wrote the book on it! Her book, Science Communication: Culture, Identity and Citizenship (co-authored with Sarah Davies) was published just last year.
Come and learn from an expert.

As a researcher, [External link]Professor Maja Horst is interested in the relationship between science and society - with particular emphasis on public communication about science and technology. She is Head of Department of the Department of Media, Cognition and Communication at the University of Copenhagen.

Professor Horst has previously lead research projects studying the public debate on stem cell research, as well as those studying research management and risk. She is currently studying how social, political and cultural values affect scientific research and technological innovation and how these, in turn, affect society, politics and culture. She also researches the intersection between the public and science, studying – for example – how research and science results and processes are communicated by various sources to non-expert societal and political stakeholders including the general public via the media. She monitors the public debate around research and technology and how values and opinions form in the public domain, and how they affect and are affected by research and science communication.

In 2009, Professor Horst received the Research Communication Award granted by the Danish Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation. Through innovative communication forms, she is able to inform and at the same time enter into a dialogue with the audience. "She is an inspiration to other researchers," says Science Minister Helge Sander.